Tour de Trump becomes Tour Du Pont CYCLING

...TC The Tour de Trump, the showcase of bicycle racing in the United States in 1989 and 1990, now will be the Tour Du Pont and will be sanctioned internationally as a professional event.

Baltimore was one of the key stops on the Tour de Trump and probably still will be a major city on the 1,103-mile course that will run from Wilmington, Del. -- headquarters of the Du Pont Corp. -- to Boston May 9 to 19.

"We've been in contact with the people [Medalist Sports Inc. of Richmond, Va.] who will direct the race for Du Pont," said Bill Gilmore, acting director of the Baltimore Office of Promotion. "I haven't had a chance to talk to the mayor about it, and a lot will depend on the cost of the promotion to the city."

Eileen Webber, a spokeswoman for Du Pont, said: "We just made the announcement of our sponsorship of the race and, as yet, we haven't had a chance to negotiate with any cities. I'm sure most the cities involved the last two years will be high on the list for the race next May."

Du Pont stepped in to create the Tour Du Pont after developer Donald Trump ended his multimillion-dollar involvement in the race because of his organization's financial troubles.

Robert Nightengale Jr., a spokesman for Du Pont, said the chemical company plans "a long-term commitment" to the race.

"Our intent is to make this race bigger and better next year and beyond," said race director Michael Plant, president of Medalist Sports Inc., which directed the Tour de Trump the past two years. "We want to see the event grow into one of the world's best cycling races."